ABC congratulated the winners of its 2015 National Craft Championships competition during the March 6 Careers in Constructions awards held during the association’s Workforce Development, March 3-6, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 

A field of 187 craft trainees competed for top honors in 15 competitions representing 12 crafts, including a  new masonry competition and new team competition with journey-level craft professionals from five different crafts working to complete a joint project. Competitors first took an intense, two-hour written exam and then competed in daylong hands-on practical performance tests in: carpentry, electrical-industrial, electrical-residential, fire sprinkler, HVAC, instrumentation fitting, insulation, millwright, pipefitting, plumbing, sheet metal, welding-pipe, welding-structural and masonry. 

The 2015 winners are:

Carpentry

Gold: Mark Rineer
Training Sponsor: ABC Keystone Chapter
Employer: Wohlsen Construction Company

Silver: Daniel Clark
Training Sponsor: ABC Northern Ohio
Employer: Wojcik Builders, Inc.    

Bronze: Brian Hall
Training Sponsor: ABC Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter
Employer: Klover Contracting, Inc.

Safety: Brian Hall
Training Sponsor: ABC Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter
Employer: Klover Contracting, Inc.                                

Electrical-Industrial/Commercial

Gold: Varand Ghazarian
Training Sponsor: ABC Los Angeles/Ventura Chapter
Employer: LAC USC

Silver: William Wayne Figgins
Training Sponsor: ABC Virginia Chapter
Employer: Beckstrom Electric

Bronze: Shawn P. Flanagan
Training Sponsor: Gaylor Electric
Employer: Gaylor Electric

Safety: Andrew Golder
Training Sponsor: ABC Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter
Employer: The Tri-M Group, LLC 

Electrical-Residential/Commercial

Gold: Jesse D. Babington           
Training Sponsor: CECA – South Carolina   
Employer: Watson Electrical Construction Co. LLC

Silver: Pete Rauls  
Training Sponsor: ABC of Wisconsin Apprenticeship & Training Trust
Employer: Faith Technologies Inc.

Bronze: Russell H. Johnson         
Training Sponsor: ABC of the Carolinas
Employer: Watson Electrical Construction Co. LLC

Safety: Joseph Emil Zazo
Training Sponsor: ABC Greater Michigan Chapter
Employer: Trahan Electric Incorporated    

Fire Sprinkler

Gold: Jordan Bretey
Training Sponsor: American Fire Sprinkler Association
Employer: Rapid Fire Protection

Silver: Robert Taylor      
Training Sponsor: ABC Baltimore Metropolitan
Employer:Advanced Fire Protection Systems, LLC

Bronze: Johnathon Dover
Training Sponsor: ABC Florida GUlf Coast Chapter
Employer: Cox Fire Protection

Safety: Jason Rogge          
Training Sponsor: Florida Automatic Sprinkler Training, Inc. (FAST)
Employer: Wiginton Fire Systems

HVAC

Gold: Ty A. Balmer
Training Sponsor: ABC Keystone Chapter           
Employer: W.C. Eshenaur and Son, Inc.

Silver: Daniel Mercier
Training Sponsor: ABC of Wisconsin Apprenticeship and Training Trust
Employer: AMA Heating & A/C, Inc.

Bronze: Parker Reed Lumley
Training Sponsor: ABC Cumberland Valley Chapter
Employer: RW Warner, Inc.

Safety: Parker Reed Lumley
Training Sponsor: ABC Cumberland Valley Chapter
Employer: RW Warner, Inc.        

Instrumentation Fitting

Gold: Cody Petersen
Training Sponsor: Interstates Construction
Employer: Interstates Construction

Silver: Gerald Wayne Vick, III
Training Sponsor: ABC Pelican Chapter
Employer: ISC Contractors, LLC

Bronze: Marlen Harris             
Training Sponsor: ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter
Employer: Triad Electric & Controls

Safety: Gerald Wayne Vick, III               
Training Sponsor: ABC Pelican Chapter
Employer: ISC Contractors, LLC        

Insulation

Gold: Mark Koch
Training Sponsor: ABC Greater Michigan Chapter              
Employer: G.E. Insulation

Silver: Noel Ocasio        
Training Sponsor: Starcon International Inc.
Employer: Starcon International Inc.

Bronze: David J. Wright
Training Sponsor: Starcon International, Inc.
Employer: Starcon International, Inc.

Safety: Randall Kubin        
Training Sponsor: ABC Greater Houston Chapter
Employer: Brand Energy Solutions

Masonry

Gold: Maxwell Bond Kelley          
Training Sponsor: Masonry Association of Florida and Educational Foundation
Employer: Kevin J. Brandel Masonry Construction

Silver: Abner Torres
Training Sponsor: Masonry Association of Florida and Educational Foundation

Bronze: Gatien Cesaire
Training Sponsor: Masonry Association of Florida and Educational Foundation
Employer: Modern Plumbing Industries

Millwright/Industrial Maintenance

Gold: Chad Bemis
Training Sponsor: Cianbro
Employer: Cianbro

Silver: Paul Temple
Training Sponsor: Cianbro
Employer: Cianbro

Bronze: Brian Loeb           
Training Sponsor: ABC Texas Gulf Coast Chapter
Employer: McGill Maintenance Partnership, Ltd.

Safety: Chad Bemis
Training Sponsor: Cianbro
Employer: Cianbro

Pipefitting

Gold: Jeremy Fisher           
Training Sponsor: TIC - The Industrial Company
Employer: TIC - The Industrial Company

Silver: Sean Aho
Training Sponsor: Gould Construction Institute
Employer: DECCO, Inc.

Bronze: Eric Neal Capps
Training Sponsor: Zachry Industrial, Inc.
Employer: Zachry Industrial, Inc.

Safety: Laramie W. Griffin, Jr.
Training Sponsor: ABC Pelican Chapter
Employer: Performance Contractors, Inc.  

Plumbing

Gold: Matthew Elliott 
Training Sponsor: ABC Southern California Chapter
Employer: Wallace P. Johnson Plumbing and Heating, Inc.

Silver: Bryan Weaver
Training Sponsor: ABC Southern California Chapter
Employer: Warren Weaver Inc.

Bronze: Manuel L. Garcia
Training Sponsor: ABC New Mexico Chapter              
Employer: National Heating and Ventilating

Safety: Morgan Parks
Training Sponsor: ABC of Iowa Apprenticeship and Training Trust              
Employer: ACI Mechanical                            

Sheet Metal

Gold: Brandon Oettchen
Training Sponsor: ABC of Iowa Apprenticeship and Training Trust
Employer: B&G HVAC

Silver: Kevin Strahler
Training Sponsor: ABC San Diego Chapter
Employer: West Coast Air Conditioning Co.

Bronze: Nicholas L. Miller   
Training Sponsor: ABC Keystone Chapter
Employer: James Craft and Son, Inc.

Safety: Frank Hernandez   
Training Sponsor: Construction Education Foundation
Employer: TDIndustries                                                                                                    

Welding-Pipe

Gold: Waylin Lynn Brandon          
Training Sponsor: ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter
Employer: EXCEL - Sponsored

Silver: Joshua White        
Training Sponsor: TIC-The Industrial Company
Employer: TIC- The Industrial Company

Bronze: Timothy Nelson
Training Sponsor: Cianbro
Employer: Cianbro

Safety: Francisco Ochoa
Training Sponsor: Construction Education Foundation
Employer: TDIndustries                                    

Welding-Structural

Gold: Brandon Moore             
Training Sponsor: ABC Greater Houston
Employer: Jacobs

Silver: Joseph H. Matherne, III  
Training Sponsor: ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter

Bronze: Joshua Prater
Training Sponsor: Construction Education Foundation
Employer: FSG Electric

Safety: Shawn Davis     
Training Sponsor: Starcon International, Inc.                                                                                                      
Employer: Starcon International, Inc.

Team Competition

Gold: ABC Iowa Apprenticeship and Training Trust     
       
Pipefitting: Ben Mollhoff
Employer: ACI Mechanical, Inc.

Millwright: Ryan Knisley
Employer: Keen Project Solutions

Insulation: Mike Bradley
Employer: Iowa Insulation, Inc.

Electrical: Bryan Miller
Employer: Price Electric

Carpentry: Mitch Plambeck
Employer: Frye Builders & Associates Inc.

Silver: ABC Ohio Valley 

Pipefitting: Robert M. Kelley
Employer: TP Mechanical

Millwright: Steve DeAtley
Employer: United Group Service

Insulation: Brandon Russell Cross
Employer: All American Insulation

Electrical: Robert A. Davis
Employer: Carey Electric

Carpentry: Joshua Terlau
Employer: Building Crafts Inc.

Bronze: Zachry Industrial, Inc.

Pipefitting: Chadwick Bass
Employer: Zachry Industrial, Inc.

Millwright: William Jeff Garner
Employer: Zachry Industrial, Inc.

Insulation: Fidel Rueda
Employer: Zachry Industrial, Inc.

Electrical: Francisco Barragan
Employer: Zachry Industrial, Inc.

Carpentry: Jose Montejano
Employer: Zachry Industrial, Inc.

The National Craft Championships competition was developed in 1987 to help celebrate and recognize craft training in construction careers. This year, ABC partnered with the Florida Masonry Apprentice and Educational Foundation to hold the first masonry competition at the National Craft Championships. Each year, the competition draws some of the nation’s most talented craft professionals and highlights the important role that craft skills training plays in the construction industry. The National Craft Championships Committee, which is composed of leading merit shop construction firms, plans all year for the two-day competition.